The main character in The Shadow Man is a forensic psychologist named Connie Woolwine who has been called to Edinburgh to help solve the missing person case of Elspeth Dunwoody. Connie's partner in sleuthing is Detective Inspector Baarda. Connie is a unique character in that she has a unique perspective of the world- partially because she is an achromat (can't see colors) and partially because of her own past psychological traumas. This is a woman who is not afraid to get up close and personal with the dead to see what they can tell her. Edinburgh is a perfect setting for this dark and brooding mystery. As the story progresses, several other people disappear. Are the cases linked and if so, what can Connie deduce from each case that will help her find a connection to the villain? I don't want to give away anymore details accept to say that this was a rewarding read which kept me at the edge of my seat. I hope that this is the first book in a series because I would love to read more mysteries with Connie and Detective Inspector Baarda!

Brrrr! This book completely froze my blood cells, taking tour inside the criminal’s mind and as you discover how his dysfunctional mind works, how he chooses his preys, stalking and watching, if you’re not a tough one who cannot digest gory, dark, terrifying way of story telling, please just drop the book and run! That’s not your cup of Earl Grey, for sure!

Luckily I don’t like tea but I always keen on reading darker, challenging, complex stories just like this one. I already packed more adult diapers just in case before diving into this journey.

At the beginning we’re introduced the perpetrator, after a few glimpses make us realize his motives, we learn he is sick ( not only mentally but also physically) but he needs to finish his passion work. So we’re not sure his health conditions can prevent him to finish what he started. He wants his legendary name “ Shadow Man” leaves a memorable trace when he’s gone!

Dr. Connie Woolwine, an American forensics psychologist and Brodie Baarda, a London detective, team up to solve the missing person cases in Edinburgh. Their relationship dynamic and quirky characteristics( especially talkative forensics Ms. Woolwine has some similar qualities with Annette) reminded me of Katherine Engberg’s Tenant series detectives Werner and Korner.

Elspeth,Meggy and Xavier are three characters from different backgrounds.They’re captivated at some unknown place, their each moves are monitored by their hunter. They need to find a way to escape but how?
As the number of the cases is increasing, eventually the pressure on the detectives are getting higher. They have to find a way to stop them but how?

What if Connie attracts the perpetrator’s attention, acting like ideal candidate to be abducted. Well, her plan may work but also may drag her to the most dangerous places she cannot ever imagine.

Click! Click! Click! You hear the sound! I keep ordering more DI Callanach series! I enjoyed the author’s riveting writing style, high tension building of the story and memorable characterization including shadow man. She portrayed the sick mind of a character with a realistic, objective and also horrifying approach.

I cannot wait to read more works of the author sooner.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for sharing this arc with me in exchange my honest opinions.

This is my first Helen Fields book that I have read so I didn’t really know what to expect but she has gained herself a new fan because of this book . The story is a great thriller from the very beginning it pulls you in and keeps your attention page after page . The characters are great and you really start to feel and care for what’s happening. it really is a great dark read especially at this time of year and I look forward to reading other books Helen has to offer . 5 stars it’s everything you want for a read like this .

I've been a great fan of Helen Fields' D.I. Callanach series so I was looking forward to reading her new standalone book, "The Shadow Man".
The wife of a rich and influential man disappears in Edinburgh and American forensic psychologist Connie Woolwine is sent to help Old-Etonian London Detective D.I. Brodie Baarda investigate. Somewhat predictably the couple are chalk and cheese,the suave and mannerly Baarda and the brash,bolshy and foul-mouthed Wookwine,
The odd couple very quickly come to the conclusion that the lady, Elspeth Dunwoody, has been abducted and the story alternates between the story of her kidnapping and their efforts to find her. There's more to the abduction than first meets the eye and it becomes apparent that the perpetrator, the Shadow Man of the title, has a bizarre motive that leads to other seemingly unlinked victims finding themselves being abducted and held together. Aside from Elspeth there's Xavier,a man in his 30's and 12 year-old Meggie kept captive in a dingy flat and their trials and tribulations are described in often quite disturbing detail.
Much as I love Helen Fields' books this one misfired a bit for me,I wasn't convinced by the main characters . there are parts of the dialogue that read like Wikipedia entries as Woolwine lays out her theories and the plot often veered into "horror movie" territory.
It's good but not in the same class as the Callanach series, where the relationship between the 2 mismatched lead characters works a lot better than it does here.

Thanks to Helen Fields, Avon Books Uk and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I haven't read any of Helen Fields books, but after reading this, I might.

This is about the Shadow Man and it freaked me out. He just takes people and keeps them locked in a house. I really don't want to give too much away about this, but when I tell you this kept me up at night..it really did.

There are three characters trapped in the house and they must work together to get out. Trust me when I ay this will keep you on your toes and keep your heart pounding!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon books for the Arc in exchange for my honest opinion

400 pages

4 and 1 / 2 stars

American forensic psychologist Dr. Connie Woolwine and London Detective Brodie Baarda are investigating the disappearances – and deaths – of missing people in Edinburgh. Connie has an annoying potty mouth.

The reader knows the identity of the perpetrator from the get go. He is very ill, but determined to fulfill his “mission.” While at first his abductions are carefully planned, as his illness and psychopathology progress, he takes more chances.

More people disappear and the tension in the story increases. Meanwhile, the captives make a horrific discovery. Their fear grows. Connie decides to make a personal appeal to the kidnapper. Will it work? Or, will the madman come after her?

This book is very well written and plotted. The transitions are also well done. The novel is a nail-biter for sure. I had to stay up late to read what happened to the unfortunate kidnapped souls. While it is true that there is much discussion of the kidnapper's psychology, I found that part particularly interesting. There are more things under heaven and earth...The story is rather gruesome in places, but I think it is only to illustrate the severity of the kidnapper's illness.I have read many of Helen Fields' other books, but I think that this one stands out. More please, Ms. Fields. (I agree with another reviewer who said that a standout and very well fleshed out character is Meggy.)

I want to thank NetGalley and Avon Books UK/Avon for forwarding to me a copy of this very fine book for me to read, enjoy and review.

So tense so chilling a book that grabbed me from the first pages&Kept me reading late into the night,Abook that I will be recommending to all thriller lovers I know a five star read,#netgalley#avonbooksuk

Thank you to Avon Books and Netgalley for this advanced copy of Helen Fields new standalone The Shadow Man. Wow, absolutely amazing!!! From the first page to the last, this story grabs you and doesn’t let you go.An absolute page turner of a book and spine tingling brilliant!!Set against the back drop of Edinburgh, the characters and the city literally come alive on the page. You feel every emotion the characters go through. This is 5 stars all the way!!

Full review online in mid February..

THE SHADOW MAN is a standalone novel by Helen Fields, best known for her "DI Callanach" police procedural series. This is also an investigative series, with Dr Connie Woolwine, a profiler from the US and DI Baarda heading up the investigation. As the two work together to track down kidnapper and victims, they learn to trust each other’s ways of working. It’s clear that the author has set up the narrative to allow a bond to develop between these characters but there’s little in the dialogue that persuades the reader that this could really happen. There is also an implausibly Americanised dialogue of the Scottish characters throughout, and some truly gratuitous descriptive detail. Some things are far more powerful by being left to the reader’s imagination and this reader progressed from feeling engaged and interested to a little repelled. Still, it was well written and interesting, if a little different from what we've come to expect from Fields.

This book has a potentially good storyline. A serial killer operates in Edinburgh and for a not terribly clear reason, a detective from London , Brodie Baarda and a psychologist , Connie, from the USA are tracking him down. The killer is deeply traumatised and suffers from Cotard’s syndrome. If the reader does not know what that is, an extended explanation is part of the book. At one point three people are trapped in the home of the killer who is under the illusion that they are his family. The attempt to track them down is well conceived but the book has extended psychology lessons and too much description, for example of the attempts by the three prisoners to escape. That takes too much unrewarding reading. The best drawn character is the girl captive, Meggy. All the characters have some form of dysfunctional personal lives or backgrounds.

The Shadow Man by Helen Fields is a terrifying novel that will keep you intensely focused on what will happen and who the “shadow man” really is. I have read most of Field’s DI Callanach series and love her writing style and her ability to ensure that the characters seem accurate as well as the fluidity of her writing. That said this is a stand-alone novel and I have found that she does seem to take great care in ensuring the reader understands the background as well as keeping you in suspense wondering what would happen next. The three main Characters are Maggie, Elspeth, and Xavier. All three have different backgrounds and now they have thrust into a situation where they must fight to free themselves. They awaken to find that they are trapped together and there is one person that is holding them captive, the shadow man. Enter a US profiler and the detective who is heading the case and you the reader will find yourself wondering if there is any way out for them. I promise you that this one will be very hard to put down. It will keep you on the edge of your seat. While I felt that her writing was different in this book vs the series, it did not disappoint at all.

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author/publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

An original story line, good to see an author come up with something new. A rather grisly story, going back over a number of years. Pretty scary if this particular illness does exist. All comes to light in the gritting fínale. This story has everything.

Is it that I am just so invested in the DI Callanach series that I have found Helen Fields’ recent standalone novels less than compelling? In ‘The Shadow Man’ we are still in Edinburgh where the focus is on a number of abductions. In a relatively short time a society housewife, a neglected schoolgirl and a wheelchair-using young man are kidnapped and spirited away by someone resembling a cartoon character, so strange is his appearance.
Onto the scene come Dr Connie Woolwine, a profiler from the US and DI Baarda who’s heading up the investigation. As the two work together to track down kidnapper and victims, they learn to trust each other’s ways of working. It’s clear that the author has set up the narrative to allow a bond to develop between these characters but there’s little in the dialogue that persuades the reader that this could really be feasible. (Such a contrast to the Luc Callanach/Ava Turner creation!)
Sadly, that’s not the only gripe I have with this novel. They range from the irritating factual mistakes –Eton College has an entrance age of 13, not 11 (easy to check) - and implausibly Americanised dialogue of the Scottish characters through to some truly gratuitous descriptive detail. Some things are far more powerful by being left to the reader’s imagination and this reader progressed from feeling engaged and interested to repelled and, frankly, a bit grimy, courtesy of some choice passages!
Might ‘The Shadow Man’ be a re-worked early novel, written before the six book Callanagh series? It certainly reads this way. As well as the problems cited above, there is a good deal of repetitive description which does nothing to develop characters nor move the narrative forward. Please no more of this, Helen Fields. You have a winning series to continue!
My thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

A VERY dark read! Complex, intriguing characters, compelling plot one and good dynamics between partners make this a stand out read of the year so far. I hope there's another to follow

This is a standalone thriller by author Helen Fields whose DI Callanach series I really enjoy. This is a great read that I instantly got into, excellent characters and an interesting plot. This book kept me reading deep into the night wanting to know how it was going to finish.

The Shadow man abducts people and keeps them locked up in an house, there are no ransom notes but he just wants them to stay in his home. There are signs in the house that they are in danger and must escape to survive. There is so much more to this story but wary of giving to much away so will only add this is a great read and would highly recommend.


I would like to thank both Netgalley and Avon Books UK for suppling a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.